I am planning a national park trip in mid February and one of the options I was eyeing up was hitting up one or two (or three?) of the Utah national parks. I will have 5 full days and want to be able to spend ample time that each park deserves and was wondering what would be the best way to do this. I think I would definitely hit up Zion, but unsure if I should add on another park while I'm out there and if so which one?

Any suggestions are welcome!

Big Bend National Park, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Guadeloupe Mountains National Park, and White Sands National Park. Unfortunately the road to Santa Elena Canyon was wash out awhile ago so I couldn't go up to it.

I have the first 2 weeks in January off and want to plan a NP road trip to see some parks I haven’t been to yet. Thought I’d ask here for some starting points to research rather than just Googling it. Here’s what I’m working with:

- starting from San Francisco area and have 2 weeks for the travel, could stretch this out a few extra days if need be
- looking for parks I haven’t been to yet so NOT a park in CA, OR, WA, NV, or UT (and Grand Canyon from AZ)
- car is a FWD sedan in good condition but won’t work for snowy parks or ones that require high clearance vehicles to get to the cool parts. I have chains for the car, know how to use them, and am comfortable driving in heavy rain and light flurry conditions so if there’s a park that will have inclement weather it could work as long as the road to it is regularly plowed (and not actively snowing, which I would just have to play by ear closer to the dates).

I’ve done a quick look at Saguaro and the NM parks but I’m more drawn to mountains than desertscape so was hoping for some suggestions on what other winters parks might be able to work with my car situation. I also have all the appropriate gear for snow activities so maybe something like what Yellowstone offers where I could stay outside the park and take a snowcoach or snowmobile into the park? Thoughts?

No sure we have a different sub for this, so posting here.

What are the things to be mindful of mid November? Can we take the scenic drive? Thinking about Mexican Hat and the Gooseneck State park too. Anything to be mindful of there? Thanks!!

Had a trip planned to GSMNP this past weekend and Hurricane Isaiah blew through. Newfound Gap Rd was closed so we had to juggle all of the plans we had for trails. But we got to experience parts of the park we hadn't considered and they were beautiful. Plus the weather was cooler and I think the rain kept the crowds down a little (although it was still crowded on the roads). They opened the road Sunday mid-morning and we actually got a parking spot at Alum Cave Trailhead. But there was no visibility and it was raining/misty at Newfound Gap lookout so we didn't even bother going to Kuwohi.

I had never been to this park and it wasn't high on my list of parks to visit, but it was really pretty to hike. I think we are going to come back in the fall again and try to do some of the things we didn't get to do.

We went to the Elkmont area which was really peaceful but didn't venture to Cade's Cove as it didn't sound appealing and we figured EVERYBODY was going there due to the road closure. The traffic around the Sugarlands Visitors Center and in Gatlinburg can be a bit unhinged but if you go early it's workable. Just walk in Gatlinburg. It's not that big and it's faster to walk than to sit in traffic.

And if you are the guy in the white truck that was going 4 mph the entire Roaring Forks Motor Nature Trail, I hope you at least enjoyed the drive. But please, please get some self-awareness and realize the 45 cars stacked bumper to bumper behind you were literally because of you. And there are turnouts for a reason.

A Day in the Park

I took my parents on a drive through the Yellowstone yesterday. There were still areas of good Autumn color, although I suspect the current snowstorm will put an end to much of that! My first photo was of a Cottonwood Tree in the Lamar Valley that had lost half its leaves, while the rest were bright yellow/orange. I shot this with a 600mm lens from a ways back to get the perspective from which I first noticed it. If you look closely you can see two leaves making their flight to the ground.

After a quick lunch at Calcite Springs overlook, we headed up towards Tower Falls and Dunraven Pass. There was a herd of Bighorn Ewes and their lambs doing a fair job of rolling rocks down to the road below them. They were using the hooves to scrape away at the soil, looking for valuable minerals. It’s really incredible how comfortable they are on slopes that I could probably not even stand on!

Hayden Valley had a few of what I figured must be Wolf jams, but not being particularly mobile, we needed to find wildlife a bit closer to the road. I did stop for a few Bald Eagles, which are a bird I have trouble driving past without making a few images! After getting skunked on any bears on the northeast corner of the Lake, we turned around and started the 3hr drive back to Bozeman. Thats when we came upon a lot of people pulled over. There was still a lot of space on the end of a parking area, so we pulled over and started looking in the direction all the cameras were pointed. There, through the tall grass, a Grizzly Bear appeared! I was able to get a few images and my parents had a great view of the entire encounter.

As we approached West Yellowstone there was a compelling scene of a cow Elk with its calf crossing the Madison River, so I stopped to memorize that moment. Our Bear sightings were not over though. To the north of West Yellowstone, we came across what appeared to be a very large Grizzly Bear. It was pretty far away in tall grass, but I managed to get an image of it testing the air for new smells. It was a wonderful day with two people who really were the catalyst for my love of wild places and who constantly encouraged my creative side.

This was such a lovely, accessible place to visit! Volunteer Bob was so sweet and proud to share information about the geology of Brandywine Falls and Ohio and Pennsylvania in general, and the nature center folks were really enthusiastic about the Junior ranger program. I was very impressed and happy to hike and explore this place.

Wife and I are going the second week of November Saturday to Saturday and we fly into Vegas and will fly out of Vegas. We are definitely trying to do Zion day one and end with the Grand Canyon those are our top 2, but everything in between that week is killing us right now trying to figure out where to go and where to stay. Any advice or recent experiences? We definitely want to do Page as well, and probably Bryce canyon. But whats the best way to plot this trip? This is our longest trip together so it’s been a lot, I know it will be fun and an amazing experience but just want to make sure we are doing this correctly being from Florida.

Check it out let me know what I could have done to make it a better video

Sunsets taken on September 23rd, 24th & 25th of 2026

I just find the unigrids to be the most beautiful thing ever (after the parks that is). At some point of time, I started collecting unigrids for as many NPS units as I can. And got pretty serious about it a few months back. And before anyone asks, no I am not trying to visit all the ~450 NPS units. Thank You, however much I may love them but no! I have physically been to 100+ over the years. At this point of time, I have the unigrids for some 248 units. I have tried to be very methodical about it, and this is what I have found.

Sharing here just in case anyone finds it interesting.

1. Per my count and research, there are 449 NPS units as of now.
2. For better cataloging, I grouped the 449 units into 15 categories (one unit gets to be in one category alone for simplification) -​

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1. Over in East Coast (at least mid-Atlantic where I live) which has plenty of units, the most difficult unigrid to physically find is Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail. While the Chesapeake watershed has several NPS units and all of them are officially a part of that trail, none of them actually have its unigrid. You'd have to mail/visit a particular place in deep Pennsylvania to get it.

2. If you happen to be in Anchorage, absolutely visit the wonderful Alaska Public Lands museum. It has pretty much all of Alaska NPS unigrids. The only one I did not find there was Aniakchak.

3. Washington DC has 21 sites, most in national mall alone.

4. Hohokam Pima in Arizona is a pretty unique unit in the sense it neither has a visitor center, nor any signage (let alone a unigrid). You are not supposed to visit it, it's sacred to the native tribe.

5. Based on what I know, these are the units that do not have a unigrid. 27 as of now. Some of them are surprising.

Amache, Ala Kahakai, Blackstone River Valley (RI + MAS), Blackwell School, Bluestone, Carlisle Federal Indian Boarding School, Constitution Gardens, Edgar Allan Poe, Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley (Illinois), Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley (Mississippi), Frances Perkins, Gauley River, Gloria Dei Church, Hohokam Pima, Lyndon Baines Johnson Memorial Grove on the Potomac, Middle Delaware, Mill Springs Battlefield, National Mall, New Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Avenue, Poverty Point, Saint Paul's Church, Springfield 1908 Race Riot, Theodore Roosevelt Island, Tule Lake, World War I Memorial, Yucca House

1. The states/territories with most units - California (31), DC (23), New York (22), Arizona (21), Virginia/Pennsylvania (19), Alaska/Texas/New Mexico (16)

And lastly but most importantly - NPS staff are the most wonderful people ever. Very helpful and very happy to interact with fellow public lands enthusiasts!

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I live in the midwest and usually like to make a midwinter pilgrimage to Colorado to get some sunshine around February or March in order to get me through the rest of the darkness, this year I am thinking I might want to tack on a couple days in a NP and am curious which would be recommended as best for this time of year? I've been to all the ones in Utah but never got a chance to spend much time in Bryce or Zion, I've been to RMNP many times (and I imagine it would be quite snowy), considering the Grand Canyon as I've never been there and would like to go but usually don't place it high on my list due to tourists... Ideally somewhere that isn't a super long flight from CO as I want to minimize travel time as much as possible. I'm mostly hoping to hike but would also like to camp a night (I've got stuff for cold weather camping so that's not a big concern, haven't ever camped in a desert before though--is it ill advised to camp in these kinds of parks at that time of year? Are sites even open?)

Looking to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway to see the fall colors. Is next week to soon, or should I wait a week?

From many comments, personal anecdotes and reviews online, I've noticed a trend that, at least in Mexico, tend to view traveling to US National Parks more negatively ("Like why would you do that?"), whereas in Europe, the perception is very positive ("It's one of the best highlights of USA!").

Examples so you can see what I mean:

Mexican review: "I mean, yeah... it’s nice, but there are waaaaay better and more impressive things out there. I’ve been to Monument Valley, Grand Teton, Montana, and the Grand Canyon, and sure, they’re cool, but there are even more badass places in the world, man—give yourself the chance to see them. 🤭"

German review: "I was in the western US and checked out the typical national parks like Monument Valley, Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Bryce Canyon, etc.

I don't think the famous national parks in the US are just "okay." I was totally thrilled by it; I would recommend it to anyone who loves nature and impressive landscapes. US cities were more of a letdown for me, but the scenery captivated me even more!"

Posting on behalf of a friend!!

I’m planning to propose to my sweet girlfriend next spring, and I’d love to plan a special trip for us this May

A few years ago, after visiting Olympic National Park, she decided she wanted to make it a life goal to visit as many national parks as possible (with plenty of time to really explore each one)

She absolutely loved Olympic and Mount Rainier, and she’s already visited Bandeliert. We’re thinking about flying out of NYC, renting an RV, and spending some time exploring a few parks (or just one if it’s as diverse as Olympic seemed to be).

She’s a decent hiker and I’m more of a beginner, so ideally we’d find somewhere with a mix of beautiful scenery, beginner-friendly trails for me, and somewhere welcoming to RV camping.

Open to all recommendations that fit the bill! We’re planning on taking a week to travel and we’re comfy with long drives between locations if there’s multiple stops we can squeeze in.

My mom and I are going on a roadtrip with a last minute change involving us going to Yellowstone. She qualifies for the senior pass, which really helps on lowering our trip’s estimate, but we are not fans of a certain person who is on the current annual cards. If she gets the lifetime, will that person be on there, or will we not have to worry about getting something to cover him up? Also, do the senior lifetime passes get new cards ever, or is it just “you get this card and have it until you lose it and have to get a replacement”